Orthodontic system with tooth movement and position measuring, monitoring, and control

ABSTRACT

An orthodontic system and method for aligning at least one tooth of an upper jaw or a lower jaw of a patient. In the system and method at least one orthodontic appliance can be provided which may include at least one force exerting member for applying a force to move the at least one tooth, a tooth movement sensor for obtaining tooth movement data, and a tooth movement monitor for calculating at least one of the distance the at least one tooth has moved and a current position of the at least one tooth from the tooth movement data. An electronic control console may be operatively connected to the force exerting member and in data communication with the tooth movement monitor, for controlling the operation of the force exerting member using the at least one of the distance the at least one tooth has moved and the current position of the at least one tooth.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates to orthodontics. More particularly, thepresent disclosure relates to an orthodontic system with tooth movementand position measuring, monitoring, and control during orthodontictreatment.

BACKGROUND

Malocclusion is an abnormal alignment of the teeth and is typicallycharacterized by crooked, crowed, or protruding teeth and upper andlower teeth that do not fit together properly. Orthodontic treatmentattempts to remedy malocclusion by properly aligning the teeth. Onecommon orthodontic treatment uses an orthodontic appliance to properlyalign the teeth.

There are many known orthodontic appliances for aligning teeth. The mostcommonly known orthodontic appliance are braces, which are permanentlyfixed with respect to the teeth until treatment is completed. Bracestypically include brackets that are bonded to individual teeth using asuitable adhesive, and wires that are threaded through or wrapped arounda portion of each bracket. The wires apply a force against the teeth viathe brackets, which gradually move the teeth into alignment.

In the last couple of decades, removable orthodontic appliances havebeen developed, which are worn part time or most of the time, day ornight. These appliances fit in the intraoral cavity in a manner thatallows them to apply a force against the teeth, which gradually move theteeth into alignment, and be easily removed from and refitted in theintraoral cavity by the patient. Such removable orthodontic appliancesare described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,819,661 and U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 15/059,140, the entire disclosures of which are incorporatedherein by reference.

The amount and the duration of the force applied by the orthodonticappliance to the teeth must be controlled over the course of theorthodontic treatment to avoid undesirable effects, such as tooth rootresorption and/or pain and discomfort associated with the orthodonticappliance.

Accordingly, an orthodontic system is needed with tooth movement andposition measuring, monitoring, and control during orthodontictreatment.

SUMMARY

Disclosed herein are an orthodontic appliance for aligning at least onetooth of a patient's upper or lower jaw, and a system comprising atleast one orthodontic appliance for aligning at least one tooth of thepatient's upper jaw and/or at least one tooth of the patient's lowerjaw. The orthodontic appliance may comprise a force exerting member forapplying a force to move the at least one tooth, a tooth movement sensormember for obtaining tooth movement data, and a tooth movement monitorfor calculating at least one of a distance the at least one of the toothhas moved and a current position of the at least one tooth from thetooth movement data.

Further disclosed herein is an electronic control console, which can beincluded in the system. The electronic control console can beoperatively connected to the force exerting member and in datacommunication with the tooth movement monitor, for controlling theoperation of the force exerting member using the least one of a distancethe at least one of the tooth has moved and a current position of the atleast one tooth.

In some embodiments, the orthodontic appliance may further comprise amouthpiece.

In some embodiments, the force exerting member may be associated withthe mouthpiece in a manner that allows physical engagement between theat least one force exerting member and the at least one tooth.

In some embodiments, the tooth movement sensor may be associated withthe mouthpiece in a manner that allows physical engagement with the atleast one tooth or optical communication with at least one of the atleast one tooth.

In some embodiments, the force exerting member may comprise at least oneinflatable element.

In some embodiments, the tooth movement sensor may comprise a mass flowsensor.

In some embodiments, the at least one inflatable element can be inflatedwith a fluid which causes the at least one inflatable element to applyand maintain the force applied to the at least one tooth and wherein themass flow sensor measures the mass of the fluid used to expand the atleast one inflatable element.

In some embodiments, the at least one inflatable element may comprise aplurality of inflatable elements and may further comprise a multiportsolenoid valve or multiple solenoid valves connected with the inflatableelements, the multiport solenoid valve or multiple solenoid valvesallowing the inflatable elements to be individually selected to measurethe mass of the fluid used to inflate a selected one of the inflatableelements.

In some embodiments, at least a second tooth movement sensor can beprovided which may be associated with the mouthpiece in a manner thatallows physical engagement with the at least one tooth or opticalcommunication with at least one of the at least one tooth.

In some embodiments, at least a second tooth movement sensor can beprovided which may comprise at least one force sensor, at least oneoptical image sensor, and any combination thereof.

In some embodiments, the at least one force sensor may comprise at leastone contact force sensor, at least one flexible force sensor, and anycombination thereof, and the at least one optical sensor may comprise atleast one micro video camera, at least one micro still camera, and anycombination thereof.

In some embodiments, the at least one force sensor may measure at leastone of a force applied thereto by the at least one tooth and a locationof the applied force, and the at least one optical image sensor mayobtain at least one optical image of at least one of the at least onetooth.

In some embodiments, the tooth movement monitor may comprise acontroller for interrogating the tooth movement sensor member, and inresponse, receiving tooth movement data from the tooth movement sensor,the controller calculating the at least one of the distance the at leastone tooth has moved and the current position of the at least one toothfrom the tooth movement data.

In some embodiments, the electronic control console may comprise a fluidpump which causes the force exerting member to apply the force on the atleast one tooth.

In some embodiments, the electronic control console may further comprisea controller for selectively controlling the operation of the fluidpump.

In some embodiments, the electronic control console may further compriseat least one fluid sensor and a valve for assisting the controller inselectively controlling the operation of the pump.

In some embodiments, the electronic control console may be programmable.

In some embodiments, the electronic control console and the toothmovement monitor may each comprise a communication interface, thecommunication interfaces allowing the data communication between theelectronic control console and the tooth movement monitor.

In some embodiments, the communication interface of the electroniccontrol console may allow data communication with a communication deviceoperated by the patient, thereby allowing the at least one of thedistance the at least one tooth has moved and the current position ofthe at least one tooth, whether in real time or stored, to becommunicated by the communication device of the patient to a remotelylocated communication device of a remotely located dentist or otheruser.

In some embodiments, the communication interface of the electroniccontrol console may allow receipt of program instructions from theremotely located communication device operated by the dentist or otheruser, via the communication device operated by the patient, the programinstructions programming the controller of the control console.

In some embodiments, the communication interface of the electroniccontrol console may allow receipt of program instructions from aremotely located communication device operated by a dentist or otheruser, the program instructions programming the controller of the controlconsole.

In some embodiments, the communication interfaces of the electroniccontrol console and the tooth movement monitor may allow a dentist orother user to remotely access the control console and the tooth movementmonitor, via a communication device operated by the dentist and acommunication device operated by the patient, to initiate a real timemeasurement of the at least one of the distance the at least one toothhas moved and the current position of the tooth, or obtain at least oneof the distance the at least one tooth has moved and the currentposition of the tooth stored in the control console.

In some embodiments, the orthodontic system may further comprise asecond orthodontic appliance, one of the first and second orthodonticappliances for aligning at least one tooth of the patient's upper jawand the other one of the first and second orthodontic appliances foraligning at least one tooth of the patient's lower jaw.

Further disclosed herein is a method for aligning at least one tooth ofa patient. The method comprising applying with a force exerting member aforce to move the at least one tooth, obtaining with a tooth movementsensor member tooth movement data, calculating at least one of adistance the at least one tooth has moved and a current position of thea least one tooth from the tooth movement data obtained with the toothmovement sensor, and controlling the operation of the force exertingmember with an electronic control console using the at least one of thedistance the at least one tooth has moved and the current position ofthe at least one tooth.

In some embodiments, the obtaining may comprise interrogating the toothmovement sensor with a controller, and in response, receiving the toothmovement data obtained by the tooth movement sensor, the controllercalculating the at least one of the distance the at least one tooth hasmoved and the current position of the at least one tooth from the toothmovement data.

In some embodiments, the method may further comprise sending, with acommunication interface of the electronic control console, the at leastone of the distance the at least one tooth has moved and the currentposition of the at least one tooth to a communication device of thepatient.

In some embodiments, the method may further comprise sending, with thecommunication device of the patient, the received at least one of thedistance the at least one tooth has moved and the current position ofthe at least one tooth to a remotely located communication device of aremotely located dentist or other user.

In some embodiments, the sending is performed in real time.

In some embodiments, the method may further comprise receiving, with thecommunication interface, program instructions from the remotely locatedcommunication device operated by the dentist or other user, the programinstructions programming the controller of the control console.

In some embodiments, the method may further comprise initiating from aremotely located communication device operated by a dentist or otheruser, via the communication interface, a measurement of the at least oneof the distance the at least one tooth has moved and the currentposition of the at least one tooth, or obtain the at least one of thedistance the at least one tooth has moved and the current position ofthe at least one tooth stored in the controller.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of an orthodontics system accordingto an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 illustrates an embodiment of the system (the mobile programmableelectronic control console not shown) comprising a first or upperaligner for aligning the teeth of the upper jaw of the patient and asecond or lower aligner for aligning the teeth of the lower jaw of thepatient, where each aligner comprises a mass flow sensor (not shown)which is operative as a tooth movement sensor.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a tooth movement monitor.

FIG. 4A is a schematic illustration of an embodiment of the alignercomprising a mass flow sensor which is operative as tooth movementsensor with an inflatable element.

FIG. 4B is a schematic illustration of another embodiment of the alignercomprising a mass flow sensor which is operative as tooth movementsensor with multiple inflatable elements.

FIG. 5A is a schematic illustration of another embodiment of the alignercomprising a mass flow sensor and one or more contact force sensors,which can be used together or separately as tooth movement sensors.

FIG. 5B is a schematic illustration of another embodiment of the alignercomprising a mass flow sensor and one or more flexible force sensors,which can be used together or separately as tooth movement sensors.

FIG. 5C is a schematic illustration of another embodiment of the alignercomprising a mass flow sensor and one or more optical image sensors,which can be used together or separately as tooth movement sensors.

FIG. 5D is a schematic illustration of another embodiment of the alignercomprising a mass flow sensor and one or more optical image sensors,which can be used together or separately as tooth movement sensors.

FIG. 5D illustrates another embodiment of the system (the mobileprogrammable electronic control console not shown) which comprises afirst aligner for aligning the teeth of the upper jaw of the patient anda second aligner for aligning the teeth of the lower jaw of the patient.Each of the aligners comprises a mass flow sensor and one or moreoptical image sensors, which can be used together or separately as toothmovement sensors.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of an orthodontics system 10 with toothmovement and position measuring, monitoring, and control duringorthodontic treatment. The system 10 generally comprises at least oneorthodontic appliance or aligner 20, which is configured to receive theteeth 40 of the upper or lower jaw of a patient, and a mobileprogrammable electronic control console 50.

The aligner 20 of the system 10 moves and aligns each tooth 42 requiringalignment, along a predetermined three-dimensional path under thecontrol of the control console 50. The teeth 42 requiring alignment maybe adjacent to one another, spaced one from another, arranged in groups,or be all the teeth in the same arch of the intraoral cavity. Thealigner 20 can be configured to move one or more of the teeth 42requiring alignment in a lingual direction L and/or in a buccal/labialdirection B.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the aligner 20 may comprise a generallyU-shaped mouthpiece 22, one or more inflatable elements (two inflatableelements 32 ₁, 32 ₂ are shown for illustrative purposes only) and atooth movement monitor 46. The mouthpiece 22 of the aligner 20 mayinclude a channel 30 formed by a curved labial/buccal (facial) wall 24,a curved lingual wall 26, an incisal/occlusal (base) wall 28 connectingthe facial wall 24 and lingual wall 26, and posterior walls 29connecting posterior ends of the facial wall 24 and lingual wall 26. Themouthpiece 22 can be made from a transparent, semi-transparent or opaquedental-compatible material, which may be rigid or at least sufficientlyrigid to ensure that the mouthpiece 22 does not deform under toothaligning forces. Suitable materials for the mouthpiece 22 include,without limitation, thermoplastic polycarbonate, acrylic resin, and likematerials.

Referring still to FIG. 1, the channel 30 of the mouthpiece 22 isconfigured to receive teeth 40 of a patient's upper or lower jaw. Thefacial wall 24 and the lingual wall 26 both extend along the facial andlingual surfaces 40 ₁ and 40 ₂, respectively, of the teeth 40 of thedental arch of the jaw, and the base wall 28 extends along the incisingedges 40 ₃ of the teeth 40 (FIG. 2) when the mouthpiece 22 is insertedinto the mouth. In some embodiments, where the facial wall 24 andlingual wall 26 are connected to the base wall 28, the posterior walls29 can be omitted so that the ends of the channel 30 are open. Suchembodiments may be useful where it is desirable to reduce the length ofthe facial and lingual walls 24 and 26, so that they do not extend pastcertain teeth 44 not requiring alignment, such as the second and/orthird molars or other teeth 44 of the dental arch.

The inflatable elements 32 ₁, 32 ₂ illustrated in FIG. 1 are configuredto apply a force to one or more teeth 42 requiring alignment, wheninflated with a suitable fluid. Such fluid may include, withoutlimitation, a gas such as air, a liquid such as water, or any othersuitable fluid. The inflatable elements 32 ₁, 32 ₂ can compriseinflatable sleeves, balloons, or other devices that can be inflated andexpanded with a fluid. The inflatable elements 32 ₁, 32 ₂ can beattached to or partially embedded in the inner surface of the facialwall 24 and/or the lingual wall 26, and/or base wall 28 of themouthpiece 22. A branch fluid conduit or tube 36 ₁, 36 ₂ may extend fromeach inflatable element 32 ₁, 32 ₂ to allow fluid connection thereof tothe programmable electronic control console 50, which is configured toselectively inflate and deflate the inflatable elements 32 ₁, 32 ₂ withthe fluid. Typically, the inflatable elements 32 ₁, 32 ₂, when deflated,do not exert a force against the teeth 42 requiring alignment and may ormay not make contact therewith. When inflated, the inflatable elements32 ₁, 32 ₂ expand and contact the teeth 42 requiring alignment, therebyapplying a force which urges the teeth 42 in the desired predeterminedthree-dimensional path.

Referring still to FIG. 1, the inflatable elements 32 ₁, 32 ₂ areselectively disposed within the mouthpiece 22 so that they apply a forceto the one or more teeth 42 requiring alignment in a manner which moveseach tooth 42 along a three-dimensional path that has been predeterminedto be suitable for that particular tooth 42. As illustrated in FIG. 1,one of the inflatable elements 32 ₁ can be provided between multipleteeth 42 requiring alignment and the lingual wall 26 of the mouthpiece22, so that it exerts a force on the lingual surface 42 ₁ of these teeth42. The other inflatable element 32 ₂ can be located between anothertooth 42 requiring alignment and the facial wall 24 of the mouthpiece22, so that it exerts a force on the facial surface 42 ₂ of that tooth42. The aligner can be provided with any combination of single and/ormultiple tooth inflatable elements, depending upon the orthodonticcorrection that is needed. All the inflatable elements may be located onthe same side (lingual or facial) of the teeth requiring alignment or onopposite sides thereof as illustrated in FIG. 1.

Still referring to FIG. 1, the tooth movement monitor 46 can be disposedon an outer surface of the mouthpiece 22. In other embodiments of thealigner, the tooth movement monitor 46 can be partially embedded in theouter surface of the mouthpiece 22. In still other embodiments, thetooth movement monitor 46 can be fully embedded in the mouth piece 22.

Referring now to FIG. 3, the tooth movement monitor 46 can include acontroller 90, a power supply 92 connected to the controller 90, and amemory 94 connected to the controller 90. The controller 90 receivesinput from a mass flow sensor 100 (FIG. 1), which measures the mass ofthe fluid (e.g., air or water) that has been pumped into the one or moreinflatable elements to apply and maintain the force on the one or moreteeth 42 requiring alignment, as will be explained further on in moredetail. The tooth movement monitor 46 can further include acommunication interface 96 connected to the controller 90, which allowsthe tooth movement monitor 46 to communicate with the programmableelectronic control console 50. The controller 90 of the tooth movementmonitor 46 may comprise without limitation a microcontroller,microprocessor, application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or fieldprogrammable gate array (FPGA).

FIG. 2 illustrates another embodiment of the system (the mobileprogrammable electronic control console not shown) which comprises twoof the above-described aligners, i.e., a first aligner 20 _(a), whichreceives the teeth 40 of the upper jaw of the patient and a secondaligner 20 _(b), which receives the teeth 40 of the lower jaw of thepatient. The aligner(s) 20 _(a), 20 _(b) are configured to move andthereby align one or more teeth 42 _(a), 42 _(b) of the upper and lowerjaws of the patient. The aligners 20 _(a), 20 _(b) can respectivelyinclude one or more inflatable elements 32 _(a), 32 _(b) and toothmovement monitors 46 _(a), 46 _(b). In other embodiments, just one ofthe aligners may be provided with the tooth movement monitor. In suchembodiments, the single tooth movement monitor would receive mass fluidflow measurements obtained by the mass flow sensors associated with eachaligner.

Referring again to FIG. 1, the programmable electronic control console50 of the system 10 can comprise a fluid micro pump 57, a fluid sensorarrangement 58, a solenoid valve 54, a controller 52 for controlling theoperation of the micro pump 57, and a communication interface 56. Themicro pump 57 of the control console 50 can be connected to the one ormore inflatable elements 32 ₁, 32 ₂ of the aligner 20 via their branchfluid tubes 36 ₁, 36 ₂, main fluid tube 36, and multiport solenoid valveor multiple solenoid valves 34, so that it can inflate and expand theinflatable elements 32 ₁, 32 ₂ with the fluid. A connector 38 can beprovided at the free end of the main fluid tube 36 so it can beremovably connected to an outlet 66 of the micro pump 57 locatedexternally on the control console 50. The solenoid valve 54 of thecontrol console 50 can be configured to allow the patient, doctor and/orother end user to adjust the fluid pressure of the micro pump 57 andrelease the fluid pressure to deflate the one or more inflatableelements 32, prior to disconnecting the fluid tube 36 from the controlconsole 50.

The micro pump 57 of the control console 50 can comprise a piezoelectricmicro pump, an electrostatic micro pump, a pneumatic micro pump, alinear pump, a syringe pump, or any other suitable pump that is capableof inflating the one or more inflatable elements 32 with any of thefluids mentioned above (e.g., air, water, etc.) and which is capable ofbeing contained within the mobile control console 50.

The controller 52 of the control console 50 can comprise any suitablemicrocontroller which is capable of selectively controlling theoperation of the micro pump 57 so that the force exerted by theinflatable elements 32 ₁, 32 ₂ on the teeth 42 requiring alignment, maybe constant, varied, or a combination thereof. The controller 52 isconfigured to be programmed locally or remotely by a dentist, dentaltechnician, and/or patient. The inflatable elements 32 ₁, 32 ₂ can bemade to exert a constant force of a desired magnitude on the teeth 42requiring alignment by programming the controller 52 to energize themicro pump 57 so that it inflates to a pressure which expands theinflatable elements 32 ₁, 32 ₂ and causes them to exert and maintain thedesired force, as the teeth 42 requiring alignment move along theirpredetermined three-dimensional path.

The controller 52 of the console 50 can also be programmed toselectively operate the micro pump 57 and the solenoid valve 54, suchthat the micro pump 57 inflates and expands the inflatable elements 32₁, 32 ₂ and the solenoid valve 54 deflates and contracts the inflatableelements 32 ₁, 32 ₂ in manner that causes them to exert a varied forceon the teeth 42 requiring alignment, for example, in the form ofperiodic pulses, which provide a pulsating force to the teeth requiringalignment 42. When so programmed, the controller 52 cyclically (at adesired frequency selected by the dentist or dental technician)energizes and de-energizes the micro pump 57 and solenoid valve 54 atthe appropriate times, so that the micro pump 57 inflates and expandsthe inflatable elements 32 ₁, 32 ₂, thereby causing them to exert thedesired force for a certain time period on the teeth 42 requiringalignment, and then de-energizes the micro pump 57 and opens thesolenoid valve 54 for a certain time period, to release the fluidpressure and deflate the inflatable elements 32 ₁, 32 ₂.

The controller 52 of the console 50 can be programmed by the dentist ordental technician to stop the operation of the micro pump 57 and openthe solenoid valve 54 to terminate the force exerted by the inflatableelements 32 ₁, 32 ₂ on the teeth 42 requiring alignment, when theyarrive at their final positions. The controller 52 of the controlconsole 50 can store tooth movement and/or position data obtained bytooth movement monitor 46 of each the aligner 20 of the system 10. Thecontrol console controller 52 may comprise but is not limited to amicrocontroller, a microprocessor with external memories or a fieldprogrammable gate array (FPGA).

Referring still to FIG. 1, the fluid sensor arrangement 58 of thecontrol console 50 provides the controller 52 with micro pumpperformance data, which can be used by the controller 52 to selectivelycontrol the operation of the micro pump 57. The fluid sensor arrangement58 can comprise a fluid pressure sensor 60, a fluid flow sensor 62, andfluid volume sensor 64. The fluid pressure sensor 60 detects the fluidpressure of the micro pump 57, the fluid flow sensor 62 measures thefluid flow rate of the micro pump 57, and the fluid volume sensor 64measures the fluid volume of the micro pump 57. The fluid pressure,flow, and volume measurements can be used by the controller 52 of theconsole 50 to control the energizing and the speed of the pump, so thatthe micro pump 57 maintains a desired inflation pressure andcorresponding tooth moving forces.

The console communication interface 56 of the control console 50 can beconfigured to receive tooth movement and/or position data obtained withtooth movement monitor 46, as will be explained further on.

Referring now to FIGS. 4A and 4B, the mass flow sensor 100 of thealigner 20 operates as a tooth movement sensor by measuring the mass offluid used to inflate the inflatable element 32 (FIG. 4A) or inflatableelements 32 ₁₋₆ (FIG. 4B). The mass fluid flow measurements can then becommunicated to the tooth movement monitor 46, which uses themeasurements to determine tooth movement and/or tooth position in realtime and/or the amount of tooth movement and/or the tooth position sincea previous tooth movement and/or tooth position calculation. The massflow sensor 100 measures the mass of the first volume of fluid used toinflate the inflatable element 32 or elements 32 ₁₋₆ to a pressure whichcauses the inflatable element 32 or inflatable elements 32 ₁₋₆ to applya force which will move the teeth 42, 42 ₁₋₆ requiring alignment alongthe desired path to proper alignment. As the teeth 42, 42 ₁₋₆ move, theinflatable element 32 or inflatable elements 32 ₁₋₆ is/are inflated withadditional volumes of fluid to maintain the pressure therein, andthereby maintain the force applied to the teeth 42, 42 ₁₋₆. Theadditional volumes of fluid provide corresponding increases in the size(volume) of the inflatable element 32, or inflatable elements 32 ₁₋₆.The increases in size or volume of the inflatable element 32, orinflatable elements 32 ₁₋₆ is/are, in turn, used by the tooth movementmonitor 46 to determine the position and/or distance the teeth 42, 42₁₋₆ have moved.

As illustrated in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the mass flow sensor 100 can beserially or shunt connected with the main fluid tube 36 to measure themass of fluid (gas or liquid) pumped into the inflatable element 32 oreach of the inflatable elements 32 ₁₋₆. The mass flow sensor 100 can beconfigured to transmit the mass fluid flow measurements to the toothmovement monitor 46, which uses the mass fluid flow measurements tocalculate tooth position and/or tooth movement. Embodiments of thealigner having multiple inflatable elements 32 ₁₋₆, such as illustratedin FIG. 4B, can include a multiport solenoid valve or multiple solenoidvalves 102 and individual fluid tubes 36 ₁₋₆ fluidly connectingrespective ones of the multiple inflatable elements 32 ₁₋₆ with the mainfluid tube 36. The solenoid valve or valves 102 can be operated to allowfluid communication between the main fluid tube 36 and a selected one ofthe individual fluid tubes 36 ₁₋₆ so that the mass flow sensor 100 canmeasure the mass of fluid pumped into the selected inflatable element 32₁₋₆. In other embodiments, a mass flow sensor can be connected with eachof the individual fluid tubes to measure the mass fluid flow into itsrespective inflatable element 32 ₁₋₆. In still other embodiments, themain fluid tube can be omitted and each individual fluid tube can bedirectly connected to the control console. In such embodiments, a massflow sensor can be connected with each of the individual fluid tubes tomeasure the mass fluid flow into its respective inflatable element 32₁₋₆.

The tooth movement monitor 46, via the controller 90, can be configuredto interrogate the mass flow sensor 100, and in response, receive massfluid flow measurements obtained by the mass flow sensor 100. Thecontroller 90 of the tooth movement monitor 46 can then use the massfluid flow measurements to calculate in real time the volume (increase)of the inflatable element 32 or inflatable elements 32 ₁₋₆ andtherefore, the amount each tooth 42 requiring alignment has moved and/orthe current position of the tooth and/or determine the current positionof and/or the amount each tooth 42 requiring alignment has movedrelative to a previously calculated tooth position stored in the memoryby the monitor 46. In some embodiments, 3D files representing thepretreatment position of the teeth and the Setup (final position of theteeth) are obtained for use in manufacturing the mouthpiece 22 for apatient. Any sub-step between the pretreatment position and the Setupcan then be derived, as described above with the tooth movement monitor46. The calculation performed by the controller 90 of the monitor 46 canbe based on the volume change of the one or more inflatable elements 32.

The communication interface 96 of the tooth movement monitor 46 (FIG. 3)and the communication interface 56 of the programmable electroniccontrol console 50 (FIG. 1), can be configured to communicate with oneanother via a wired, wireless, or optical connection. This allows thetooth movement monitor 46 to send tooth movement and position data tothe control console 50. In addition, the two-way communication betweenthe tooth movement monitor 46 and the control console 50 allows adentist or other dental technician to use the control console 50 toobtain real time tooth movement and/or position measurement via thetooth movement monitor 46. The wireless communication can be implementedusing any suitable radio frequency (RF) method including but not limitedto Bluetooth®, wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi), near field communication(NFC), and/or radio frequency identification (RFID). Opticalcommunication can be implemented using any suitable opticalcommunication method such as, but not limited to infrared (IR).

The control console communication interface 56, in some embodiments, maybe further configured to communicate with a communication device 70 usedby a patient, which may include, without limitation, a hand-held mobiledevice such as a smartphone, a tablet computer, and/or a personalcomputer, via the wired, RF and/or optical methods described earlier.The communication device 70 can be communicatively connected to acellular network, such as a mobile phone network, and/or a computernetwork, such as the Internet. The computer network can be a localserver or personal computer or a network of remote servers hosted on theinternet (e.g., cloud computing arrangement). So configured, the consolecommunication interface 56 allows the control console 50 to send realtime or stored tooth movement and/or position data (stored in thecontroller 52 of the control console 50 and/or the controller 90 of thetooth movement monitor 46), via the patient's communication device 70,to a communication device 72 used by a remotely located dentist ordental technician. The communication device 72 used by the dentist ordental technician may include, without limitation, a hand-held mobiledevice, such as a smartphone, a tablet computer, and/or a personalcomputer. The dentist or dental technician, in turn, may then use thecommunication device 72 to send a new program to the controller 52 ofthe control console 50, via the patient's communication device, from theremote location, in response to the tooth movement data received fromthe control console 50. In addition, the dentist or dental techniciancan remotely access the control console 50, via communication devices 70and 72, and initiate a real time measurement of tooth movement andposition via the tooth position monitor 46 and control console, orobtain tooth movement and position data stored in the control console50.

In some embodiments of the system, the mass fluid flow measurementsobtained with the mass flow sensor can be combined with additional toothmovement and/or tooth position measurement methods. For example, FIG. 5Aillustrates an embodiment comprising an aligner 120, which is similar tothe aligners described earlier and illustrated in any of FIGS. 1, 2, 4A,and 4B, however, the aligner 120 further includes one or more additionaltooth movement sensors which take the form of contact force sensors 80.The contact force sensors are arranged within the mouthpiece 22 of thealigner 120 so that each force sensor 80 is adjacent to a tooth 42requiring alignment. When the force sensor 80 is engaged by a tooth 42moved by the inflatable element 32, the sensor 80 measures the amount offorce exerted by the tooth 42 and generates a signal (wired, wireless,or optical) representing the measured amount of force. The toothmovement monitor 46 can then selectively use the mass fluid flowmeasurements, the force measurements, or both the mass fluid flow andforce measurements to calculate the amount of tooth movement and/orposition of each tooth 42 in real time and/or the amount of toothmovement and/or the position of each tooth 42 since a previous toothmovement and/or tooth position calculation. The one or more forcesensors 80 may each comprise a pressure sensor, such as, but not limitedto a piezoresistive force sensor, a strain gauge, a load cell, or anyother suitable pressure sensor. The one or more contact force sensors 80can be attached to or partially embedded in the interior surface of thefacial wall 24 and/or the lingual wall 26 and/or the base wall 28 of themouthpiece 22, such that each sensor 80 contacts the side of the tooth42, which is opposite the inflatable element 32.

FIG. 5B illustrates another embodiment the system comprising an aligner220 similar to the aligners described earlier and illustrated in any ofFIGS. 1, 2, 4A, and 4B, however, the aligner 220 further comprises oneor more flexible force sensors 84 arranged within the mouthpiece 22 ofthe aligner 20 adjacent to one or more teeth 42 requiring alignment,which are operative as tooth movement sensors. When the flexible forcesensor 84 is engaged by one or more of the teeth 42 moved by theinflatable element 32, the sensor 84 measures an input representing themeasured amount of force and the location applied by each tooth 42 onthe flexible force sensor 84. The tooth movement monitor 46 can thenselectively use the mass fluid flow measurements, the forcemeasurements, or both the mass fluid flow and force measurements tocalculate the amount of tooth movement and/or position of each tooth 42in real time and/or the amount of tooth movement and/or the position ofeach tooth 42 since a previous tooth movement and/or tooth positioncalculation. Each of the one or more flexible force sensors 84 maycomprise a FlexiForce® force sensor marketed and sold by Tekscan®, a FSR400 Force Sensing Resistor® marketed and sold by Interlink Electronics®,a K90cN force sensor marketed and sold by Faraday-Sensoren, a S8-1NSingleTact force sensor marketed and sold by Pressure Profile Systems,Inc. or a HSFPAR003A force sensor marketed and sold by ALPS ElectricCo., LTD. The one or more flexible force sensors 84 can be attached toor embedded in the interior surface of the facial wall 24 and/or thelingual wall 26 and/or the base wall 28 of the mouthpiece 22, such thateach sensor 84 contacts the side of the tooth 42, which is opposite theone or more inflatable element 32.

FIG. 5C illustrates still another embodiment of the system comprising analigner 320 similar to the aligners described earlier and illustrated inany of FIGS. 1, 2, 4A, and 4B, except that the aligner 320 furthercomprises one or more optical image sensors 86 arranged within themouthpiece 22, which capture optical images of the position of at leastthe one or more teeth 42 requiring alignment, and thus operate as toothmovement sensors. Each optical image sensor 86 generates a signal(wired, wireless, or optical) representing the captured optical image(video or still), which can be used to calculate the movement andposition of each tooth in the image in real time or the amount ofmovement since a previously calculated tooth position. The toothmovement monitor 46 can selectively use the mass fluid flowmeasurements, the captured optical images, or both the mass fluid flowmeasurements and the captured optical images, to calculate the amount oftooth movement and/or position of the teeth 42 in real time and/or theamount of tooth movement and/or the position of the teeth 42 since aprevious tooth movement and/or tooth position calculation. Each of theimage sensors 86 may comprise, without limitation, a micro video camera,a micro still camera, or any other suitable image sensor, which can beunobtrusively integrated within the mouthpiece 22 of the aligner 320 andcan convert optical images into signals (wired, wireless, or optical).The one or more optical image sensors can be attached to or embedded inthe inner surface of the facial wall 24 and/or the lingual wall 26and/or the base wall 28 of the mouthpiece 22, such that each sensor canobtain an optical image of at least the one or more teeth 42 requiringalignment.

FIG. 5D illustrates yet another embodiment of the system comprising afirst aligner 420 _(a) (transparent in this embodiment), which alignsone or more teeth 42 requiring alignment of the upper jaw and a secondaligner 420 _(b) (transparent in this embodiment), which aligns one ormore teeth 42 b requiring alignment of the lower jaw. The aligners 420_(a), 420 _(b) are also similar to the aligners described earlier andillustrated in any of FIGS. 1, 2, 4A, and 4B, however, the first aligner420 _(a) can further comprise at least a first optical image sensor 86_(a), which is operative as a tooth position sensor and can be attachedto or partially embedded in an exterior surface of the base wall 28 a ofthe first aligner's mouthpiece 22 (or fully embedded in the base wall28). The first optical image sensor(s) 86 _(a) can capture an opticalimage of the position of at least the one or more teeth 42 b requiringalignment of the opposite lower jaw, through the transparent secondaligner 420 _(b). The second aligner 420 _(b) can further comprise atleast a second optical image sensor 86 _(b), which is also operative asa tooth movement sensor and can be attached to or partially embedded inan exterior surface of the base wall 28 b of the second aligner'smouthpiece 22 b (or fully embedded in the base wall 28 b). The secondoptical image sensor(s) 86 _(b) can capture an optical image of theposition of at least the one or more teeth 42 a requiring alignment ofthe opposite upper jaw, through the transparent first aligner 420 _(a).The optical image sensors 86 _(a), 86 _(b) generate signals (wired,wireless, or optical) representing the captured optical images (video orstill), which can be used by the tooth movement monitors 46 _(a), 46_(b) to calculate the movement and position of each tooth 42 a, 42 b inreal time or the amount of tooth movement since a previously calculatedtooth position. The tooth movement monitors 46 _(a), 46 _(b) canselectively use the mass fluid flow measurements, the captured opticalimages, or both the mass fluid flow measurement and the captured opticalimages, to calculate the amount of tooth movement and/or position ofeach tooth 42 a, 42 b in real time and/or the amount of tooth movementand/or the position of each tooth 42 a, 42 b since a previous toothmovement and/or tooth position calculation. Each of the optical imagesensors 86 _(a), 86 _(b) may comprise, without limitation, a micro videocamera, a micro still camera or any other suitable image sensor, whichcan be unobtrusively integrated within the mouthpiece 22 a, 22 b of thealigner 420 _(a), 420 _(b) and can convert optical images into signals(wired, wireless, or optical).

In other embodiments, the system can include the mass flow sensor andone or more of the one or more contact force sensors 80, one or moreflexible force sensors 84, and one or more of the optical image sensors86, 86 _(a), 86 _(b). The contact force sensors 80, flexible forcesensors 84, and optical image sensors 86, 86 _(a), 86 _(b) can becommunicatively connected (e.g., wired, wireless, or optically) to orwith their associated tooth movement monitors. The wireless connectioncan be implemented using any suitable radio frequency (RF) methodincluding but not limited to Bluetooth®, wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi),and/or radio frequency identification (RFID). Optical connections can beimplemented using any suitable optical communication method such as, butnot limited to infrared (IR).

Although the orthodontic system, its individual components, and theircorresponding methods of operation and use have been described in termsof illustrative embodiments, they are not limited thereto. Rather, theappended claims should be construed broadly to comprise other variantsand embodiments of the orthodontic system, its individual components,and their corresponding methods of operation and use, which may be madeby those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and rangeof equivalents of the same.

What is claimed is:
 1. An orthodontic system comprising: a firstorthodontic appliance for aligning at least one tooth of a set of teethof an upper jaw or a lower jaw of a patient, the first orthodonticappliance comprising: a mouthpiece; a force exerting member for applyinga force to move the at least one tooth, the force exerting membercomprising at least one inflatable element that is inflatable with afluid which causes the at least one inflatable element to apply andmaintain the force applied to the at least one tooth; a tooth movementsensor comprising a mass flow sensor that measures the mass of anadditional volume of fluid, the mass of the additional volume of fluidproviding a corresponding increase in a volume of the at least oneinflatable element, the corresponding increase in volume for maintainingthe force applied to the at least one tooth by the at least oneinflatable element as the at least one tooth moves in response to theforce applied by the at least one inflatable element; and a toothmovement monitor disposed on or at least partially embedded in themouthpiece, the tooth movement monitor having a first controller that isconfigured to receive the fluid mass measurement measured with andtransmitted by the mass flow sensor, the first controller being furtherconfigured to calculate the volume increase of the at least oneinflatable element from the fluid mass data, and the first controllerbeing further configured to calculate a distance the at least one toothhas moved, or a current position of the at least one tooth, or adistance the at least one tooth has moved and a current position of theat least one tooth, from the calculated volume increase; and anelectronic control console having a fluid pump for inflating the atleast one inflatable element with the fluid and a second controller forselectively controlling the operation of the fluid pump and storing thedistance the at least one tooth has moved, or the current position ofthe at least one tooth, or the at least one of the distance the at leastone tooth has moved and the current position of the at least one toothcalculated with the tooth movement monitor; wherein the electroniccontrol console and the tooth movement monitor each comprises acommunication interface, the communication interfaces allowing the datacommunication between the electronic control console and the toothmovement monitor via a wired, a wireless, or an optical connection. 2.The orthodontic system of claim 1, wherein the at least one inflatableelement is associated with the mouthpiece to allow physical engagementbetween the at least one inflatable element and the at least one tooth.3. The orthodontic system of claim 1, further comprising a multiportsolenoid valve or multiple solenoid valves connected with the at leastone inflatable element, the multiport solenoid valve or multiplesolenoid valves allowing the at least one inflatable element to beindividually selected to measure the mass of the fluid used to inflate aselected one of the at least one inflatable element.
 4. The orthodonticsystem of claim 1, further comprising at least a second tooth movementsensor associated with the mouthpiece to allow physical engagement withthe at least one tooth or optical communication with the at least onetooth.
 5. The orthodontic system of claim 1, further comprising one ormore additional tooth movement sensors, the one or more additional toothmovement sensors comprising one or more force sensors, one or moreoptical image sensors, or any combination thereof.
 6. The orthodonticsystem of claim 5, wherein the one or more force sensors comprises atleast one contact force sensor, at least one flexible force sensor, orany combination thereof, and the one or more optical image sensorscomprises at least one micro video camera, at least one micro stillcamera, or any combination thereof.
 7. The orthodontic system of claim5, wherein the one or more force sensors measures at least one of aforce applied thereto by the at least one tooth and a location of theapplied force, and the one or more optical image sensors obtains atleast one optical image of at least one of the at least one tooth. 8.The orthodontic system of claim 1, wherein the electronic controlconsole further comprises at least one fluid sensor and a valve forassisting the second controller in selectively controlling the operationof the pump.
 9. The orthodontic system of claim 1, wherein the secondcontroller of the electronic control console is programmable.
 10. Theorthodontic system of claim 1, wherein the communication interface ofthe electronic control console allows data communication with acommunication device operated by the patient, thereby allowing the atleast one of the distance the at least one tooth has moved and thecurrent position of the at least one tooth from the data, whether inreal time or stored, to be communicated by the communication device ofthe patient to a remotely located communication device of a remotelylocated dentist or other user.
 11. The orthodontic system of claim 10,wherein the communication interface of the electronic control consoleallows receipt of program instructions from the remotely locatedcommunication device operated by the dentist or other user, via thecommunication device operated by the patient, the program instructionsprogramming the second controller of the control console.
 12. Theorthodontic system of claim 1, wherein the communication interface ofthe electronic control console allows receipt of program instructionsfrom a remotely located communication device operated by a dentist orother user, the program instructions programming the second controllerof the control console.
 13. The orthodontic system of claim 1, whereinthe communication interfaces of the electronic control console and thetooth movement monitor allow a dentist or other user to remotely accessthe electronic control console and the tooth movement monitor, via acommunication device operated by the dentist and a communication deviceoperated by the patient, to initiate a real time measurement of the atleast one of the distance the at least one tooth has moved and thecurrent position of the at least one tooth, or obtain the at least oneof the distance the at least one tooth has moved and the currentposition of the at least one tooth stored in the electronic controlconsole.
 14. The orthodontic system of claim 1, further comprising asecond orthodontic appliance, one of the first and second orthodonticappliances for aligning at least one tooth of the patient's upper jawand the other one of the first and second orthodontic appliances foraligning at least one tooth of the patient's lower jaw.
 15. Anorthodontic appliance for aligning at least one tooth of a patient'supper or lower jaw, the orthodontic appliance comprising: a mouthpiece;a force exerting member for applying a force to move the at least onetooth, the force exerting member comprising at least one inflatableelement that is inflatable with a fluid which causes the at least oneinflatable element to apply and maintain the force applied to the atleast one tooth; a tooth movement sensor comprising a mass flow sensorthat measures the mass of an additional volume of fluid, the mass of theadditional volume of fluid providing a corresponding increase in avolume of the at least one inflatable element, the correspondingincrease in volume for maintaining the force applied to the at least onetooth by the at least one inflatable element as the at least one toothmoves in response to the force applied by the at least one inflatableelement; and a tooth movement monitor disposed on or at least partiallyembedded in the mouthpiece, the tooth movement monitor having acontroller that is configured to receive the fluid mass measurementmeasured with and transmitted by the mass flow sensor, the controllerbeing further configured to calculate the volume increase of the atleast one inflatable element from the fluid mass data, and thecontroller being further configured to calculate a distance the at leastone tooth has moved, or a current position of the at least one tooth, ora distance the at least one tooth has moved and a current position ofthe at least one tooth, from the calculated volume increase.
 16. Amethod for aligning at least one tooth of a patient, the methodcomprising: receiving the at least one tooth of the patient in amouthpiece; applying with a force exerting member a force to move the atleast one tooth, the force exerting member comprising at least oneinflatable element that is inflatable with a fluid which causes the atleast one inflatable element to apply and maintain the force applied tothe at least one tooth; measuring, with a mass flow sensor, the mass ofan additional volume of fluid, the mass of the additional volume offluid providing a corresponding increase in a volume of the at least oneinflatable element, the corresponding increase in volume for maintainingthe force applied to the at least one tooth by the at least oneinflatable element as the at least one tooth moves in response to theforce applied by the at least one inflatable element; receiving, with afirst controller of a tooth movement monitor, the fluid mass measurementmeasured with and transmitted by the mass flow sensor; calculating, withthe first controller, the volume increase of the at least one inflatableelement from the fluid mass data; calculating, with the firstcontroller, a distance the at least one tooth has moved, or a currentposition of the at least one tooth, or a distance the at least one toothhas moved and a current position of the at least one tooth, from thecalculated volume increase; inflating, with a fluid pump of anelectronic control console, the at least one inflatable element with thefluid; controlling the operation of the fluid pump with a secondcontroller of the electronic control console; and storing, with thesecond controller, the distance the at least one tooth has moved, or thecurrent position of the at least one tooth, or the at least one of thedistance the at least one tooth has moved and the current position ofthe at least one tooth calculated with the tooth movement monitor;wherein the electronic control console and the tooth movement monitoreach comprises a communication interface, the communication interfacesallowing the data communication between the electronic control consoleand the tooth movement monitor via a wired, a wireless, or an opticalconnection.